In the Wake of the 1916 Rising – Call for Submissions

Thought this would be an interesting one for all you historical fiction folk out there. Though of course you don’t have to do that to enter! The Stinging Fly have come up with a great initiative I thought I’d share.

Earlier this month, a new group calling itself Reclaim the Vision of 1916entered the debate. This diverse group, made up of trade unionists, historians, musicians and various sorts of artist including Robert Ballagh and Brian Friel, is calling on all the people of Ireland to take back for themselves the right to commemorate The Rising from the politicians. The group has effectively updated the Proclamation, stressing the need for a new assertion of Irish democracy and a deeper and broader discussion of ideas about what our republic should be.

The Stinging Fly magazine has decided to heed this call and proposes to devote the spring issue of 2016 to the theme, In the Wake of the Rising. A certain amount of the work in the issue will be commissioned but we are here putting out an open invitation for submissions. Writers are asked to respond freely to the principles in the Proclamation, to the story of the Rising, its place in our cultural memory, and the current state of the country we see ourselves as part of. And the country we see ourselves as having some hand in

It appears the competition is open to short fiction, poetry and essay entries. There is also some discussion about exploring the relationship between short story writing and social engagement. (ETA: I asked the Stinging Fly about this and they responded as follows)

We welcome submissions of short fiction and poetry (or anything that falls between the two). Please read our guidelines for full instructions on how to format your submissions – and for further information on word counts etc.